Rocky Patel Edge Lite

It is a cool, overcast, fall afternoon in Massachusetts.  Kick-off of the Pats/Chargers game is about an hour away.  A good time to plug in the radio for a little pre-game banter, and of course some time for a cigar.  Today I have chosen the Rocky Patel Edge Lite Robusto.

As with most RP cigars, the pre-light inspection reveals quality.  The wrapper is natural, and glows with nice a nice sheen and very few noticeable veins.  The cigar is soft to the feel, but springs back when pressed.  The cut goes well, and the cigar takes a good coal from the toast.

The draw on the cigar is very smooth, with little effort needed to produce huge clouds of smoke.  The initial flavors are very light with some wood notes and a slight creamy smoothness attributed to the natural wrapper.  As the cigar burns through the first 3rd into the second 3rd, the burn remains sharp and a tight gray ash develops.  The flavors build a bit at this point, with strong wood and toasted nut dominating with a bit of a charcoal on the finish.

At the final 3rd of the cigar, the charcoal builds to be the dominant flavor; a bit unpleasent.  This can be mitigated a bit if you purge the cigar (to purge: blow out through the cigar to remove the standing smoke rather than continue to draw in), and after purging the cigar develops sweet threads in the wood and nut flavors making for a more complex pallet. 

Every RP cigar I have smoked needs to be drawn carefully during the final 3rd to avoid producing bitter flavors on both the flavor and finish, and this cigar is no different.  Having this knowledge has improved my experience with Rocky's cigars, and will help your experience as well.  As for this stick; a good smoke with strong flavors, and one I would recommend to both the amateur and aficionado.

Rocky Patel Rosado

I purchased a 5-pack of the Rocky Patel Rosado in the Robusto size (5 1/2 X 50) from Cigar Monster, and they arrived this week safely. This is my first internet purchase of cigars and my first experience with the Rosado, but so far I am impressed with both.

The cigar is made from long aged Nicaraguan long filler, blended with Dominican long filler and binder, finished with a cloud filtered Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. There are a few noticeable veins in the wrapper, but not so many as to be offensive.

After toasting the foot, the light takes quickly and easily. The draw is noticeably smoother than the RP 1999 Vintage, and the ease of the draw makes for a calm smoke. The initial draw seems to relay a good deal of spice, but this initial flavor tapers to a toasted nut layered with leather and woody undertones. A sweetness runs through the smoke, a trait that last to the final draw.

From that original draw, I sensed that this should be a slow smoke with careful draws, and my assumptions ring true as an overdraw creates excessive heat and a bitter flavor. Allowing the coal to remain cooler creates a much more pleasant smoking experience.

The second 3rd of the stick shows a rich complexity opening up, and a faint flavor of dark coffee on the fringes. The stick is a solid medium strength throughout, and is highlighting the beautiful early fall afternoon. The subtle spice continues to play through the pallet, but is far from overpowering and adds nicely to the blend.

As the cigar comes to completion, the toasted flavors begin to intensify, as does the leather and wood. This special label cigars are a joy to experience, and will have a place in my humidor.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1999

I stopped at Julio's Liqueurs and Smoke Shop this evening to speak with my tobacconist about a good smoke for the evening. I was disappointed when I arrived and found that not only was my tobacconist not present, but no one in the store was able to help me work through my decision for a cigar. Being a big boy, I figured I could work through the decision on my own, and decided to purchase a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999.

The pre-light examination of the cigar was impressive. The label on the cellophane states that the cigar is a "six by sixty", and the stick is truly a massive smoke that challenged the ability of my cutter. The Connecticut wrapper is a beautiful buttery blond color with a nice oily sheen and small veins, and the dual cigar bands are a simple white and gold.

Toasting this beast is an event in itself, though getting a good coal on the end went quicker than I imagined it would. The first thing of note is that this is not an easy cigar to draw. Each puff is a great deal of work to pull through, to the point that throughout the event I found myself often resorting to a double draw to get the smoke to appear.

This is a mild cigar, displaying more aroma than taste. The initial flavors are predominately wood, with some toasted nut blending in. Though it started out even, the stick quickly insists on a crooked burn, a trait that carried through to the very end. As the burn carried into the second 3rd, some spice begins to appear at the edges of of the smoke, and some of the buttery flavor of the Connecticut wrapper begins to appear. The cigar still requires a double draw to produce a sufficient amount of smoke, and with each draw I find myself thinking that something is missing in this cigar.

At the half-way point of the cigar, I notice that the ash is displaying a prominent split, as if a sharp blade had been sliced lengthwise against the stick. This slice would grow through to the final third, when I finally knocked the ash off when it began to show signs of fall. Notable at this time there is the mention of leather that appears on the pallet, and a faint recollection of chocolate as well.

As I work through the smoke, there is a rare but occasional sweetness that appears from time to time. Wood tones are definitely the prominent flavor in the smoke. There is a clear lack of complexity throughout, a trait that could be good in another cigar but is somewhat a disappointment here.

The final third of the smoke becomes a bit more lively. The wood tones power up a bit with after images of spice and highlights of nut seeping through. The smoke begins to linger longer on the tongue and cheek, and a memorable sharpness strikes with each draw. Some creamy notes begin to present, and as the end approaches the cigar finally begins to produce the copious amounts of smoke that I expected long ago.

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1999, in the Connecticut wrapper, is a mild smoke whose physically dominant stature hides a decidedly small pallet presence. This may be a good choice for the once a year smoker or as a morning smoke to wake the taste buds, but lacks complexity and delivery for an evening smoke. It was $11 for the stick, and if you are seeking a mild cigar this may be the one for you.